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Friday, October 29, 2010

Our Corporate Corruption Is Quite Simply The Best

Whoa. Check out this new background. It makes me want get all Professor Frinky. And you know what? I hate math. Cant stand it. Not interested, no thanks. But it makes for good graphics I reckon, and statistics are damn important in science.

Anyways. As you know, BB&B is very pro-bird. Love the birds. Love 'em. We firmly believe that in order for birds to continue to persist in the United States, certain legislation must be passed or defeated for them to continue to do so. While climate change may possibly soon become the biggest issue many species of wildlife will be confronting, right now habitat loss is the big problem. Land taken up for natural resource extraction (or as Hunter S. Thompson referred to it, "land rape"), agriculture, housing and businesses is far and away the biggest cause in declines of wildlife in the United States. Damming of rivers, pollution and invasive species are also big threats. Hunting is now well-regulated, and with the exception of the occasional shithead who shoots a condor, we don't have to be too fearful of anything going the way of the Passenger Pigeon....at least for now.

All of these problems are hastened and worsened by environmental laws. And who makes these laws? Why, your elected officials of course. What does this mean? YOU, voter friend, can make a difference.

I would like to make something clear: if you think nature is important, don't vote Republican. There, I said it. And you know what? I think a lot of Republicans would agree with that sentiment. The environment is now almost solely the realm of heretical liberals and their ilk....or at least thats how its portrayed by conservative politicians, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, etc. I certainly wouldn't say that Republicans hate nature as a rule (my bird-loving grandmother is amongst them), but the people they elect rarely do anything good for the environment.

Are there exceptions? Yes, of course. The Governator has done really positive things for reducing California's emissions. Laura Bush is an avid birdwatcher, has Golden-cheeked Warbler critical habitat on the Bush's Crawford Ranch, and no doubt pressured Dubya into creating the massive Papahanaumokuakea National Monument (which includes Midway Atoll and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands). And guess who signed the Endangered Species Act into law? None other than the scummiest person to occupy the White House, Richard Milhous Nixon. On a more citizen-based level, there is Republicans for Environmental Protection, who successfully fought against drilling in ANWR.

American Bitterns (who have the epic colloquial name "Thunderpumpers") are one of many species that have suffered population declines in California from wetland losses. This bird was digiscoped near Grey Lodge Wildlife Management Area in the Central Valley.

Because the Republican platform, when looked at broadly, is based on the premise of making the rich richer, they will almost always support legislation that backs big industries, no matter what the environmental cost (i.e. drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, drilling offshore a la BP's Deepwater Horizon platform, constantly attempting to weaken the Endangered Species Act, defeating almost all meaningful climate-change legislation). Their reasoning here is usually simple: they received campaign contributions that dictate how they will vote (don't get me wrong, Democrats get swayed this way too), or they want to appear to be pro-business to their electorate. Somehow they have managed to warp the public's perception of our collective responsibility to be environmental stewards, making it look like the realm of the evil liberals. At the same time many Americans have come to believe that the economy, business, and the time-honored pursuit of making $$$ is more American than apple pie, and that putting environmental issues or anything else in the path of "progress" is sacrilege. This is not a good recipe for our nation's wildlands and their denizens.

Don't even get me started on what I think of the GOP's positions on foreign policy (i.e. war), the war on drugs, health care, immigration, teaching creationism, homosexuality, abortion, fun, etc. And for God's sake, stay the hell away from anything the fucking Tea Party supports. Yuck.

Burney Falls, in Northeastern California, is one of the best places in the world to see Black Swifts, whom actually nest behind the falls themselves. Sadly, Republicans have recently introduced legislation to ban waterfalls and anything else that make people happy.

Also!!!!! For you Californians, the BB&B political machine encourages you to vote YES on Prop 19 (legalization of marijuana use), Prop 21 (free access to our terribly underfunded state parks for an $18 fee paid with vehicle registration) and Prop E (being able to register to vote all the way up to election day). And please, vote NO on Prop 23, which suspends regulations on greenhouse gases in California. And don't be afraid to vote Green!!!!

For folks living it up in Portland (PDX, not Maine), please check out what my enchanting and influential colleague Mary Coolidge is up to by going here. Check out her beguiling video in particular. Bird strikes on high-rise buildings account for millions of preventable deaths by all kinds of migratory birds every year across the nation, and I urge you to support any measures to combat this problem (Coolidge tells me San Francisco is the only kosher city on this issue on the West Coast, way to go city!).

Ok. Thanks for listening. Have a great weekend, and good luck on Tuesday!